Colder weather is coming; Code Blue declared

Pat Nevius, seen here adjusting his rope, and Seth Thomas, of Yorklyn construction, are bundled up to protect against the cold as they work on the roof of the Manchester Heights apartments in West Manchester Township, York County, on Friday, Jan. 18, 2013. (Photo by Jaon Plotkin/York Daily Record/Sunday News)

When Jim Miller got dressed for work Friday morning, he pulled on three T-shirts, four long-sleeved shirts, an Eagles hoodie, three pairs of socks and two pairs of gloves.

“It’s still cold,” Miller said. “When the sun’s out, it’s not too bad, but when you’re up three stories, in the wind, it’s pretty bad.”

Miller and his crew with Springettsbury Township’s Yorklyn Construction were replacing a roof on the Manchester Heights Apartment building on Barley Road in West Manchester Township Friday.

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They began work on the 2,700-square-foot project Monday — about a month’s worth of work — and as the week progressed, it became progressively colder. Friday, the temperature was 26, accompanied by a stiff breeze out of the northwest. It was the coldest day of the year, so far, according to the National Weather Service in State College.

And it’s about to get worse. A cold front is poised to move through the area, the National Weather Service reported, bringing with it a blast of arctic air.

“I saw the weather for next week, and it’s going to be nasty,” said Miller, a roofer for 15 years. “I told the boss we could work over the weekend and take Monday and Tuesday off. He didn’t go for that.”

The weekend isn’t supposed to be too bad. Sunday is expected to be in the 40s, said National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Ceru, but then a cold front will work its way through the area, and temperatures will begin dropping. Monday, the area can expect temperatures in the 30s. By Wednesday, he said, the highs will dip into the low- to mid-20s. Overnight temperatures are expected to drop into the teens.

It’s just a part of the emerging weather pattern, nothing unusual for this time of year.

But after what seemed like weeks of above-normal temperatures, it could come as a shock.

Montgomery County declared a Code Blue winter weather emergency on Thursday that will last from 9 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 20, until 9 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23, which means those who are vulnerable to the cold should seek shelter.

For Miller and his crew, and others who work outdoors in all weather, it’s just a matter of preparation, wearing layers of clothing, mostly. No matter, though, Miller said, it’s cold, and you can’t get used to that.

Roofers typically work in all sorts of weather. Asked whether he prefers the cold or the dog-days of summer, Miller didn’t hesitate.

“I’d sooner work in the heat,” he said. “I like it in the heat. I’m kind of used to it. This, no.”

Tricia Dravk, a 70-year-old health caretaker who lives in the apartment building, was unloading groceries when she saw the men working on the roof of her building.

“I feel bad for them up there,” she said. “They have some sun, but that wind. I appreciate they’re doing that work, but it has to be cold.”

It was, but as Ceru said, “It’s not cold yet.”

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